Archive for the ‘History and Nature of Science’ Category

  • Bottoms up!
    Bottoms up!

    People have been controlling fermentation for at least 9,000 years. What were the ancients brewing, and how did alcohol change society?


    Thursday, December 24th, 2009
  • Genetic tests go mainstream
    Genetic tests go mainstream

    Companies are marketing genetic tests direct to consumers. Some tests can be lifesavers. But many tests return confusing results, which even doctors have a hard time interpreting.


    Thursday, June 25th, 2009
  • Phony science
    Phony science

    New study finds 2 percent of scientists admit faking data; 14 percent say colleagues have done it. Problems are most common in drug and other medical studies.


    Thursday, June 4th, 2009
  • History of fishing
    History of fishing

    A new study finds a surprising number of fish, birds and mammals in the oceans 100 and 1,000 years ago. Can this information help regulators slow the decline of important marine animals?


    Thursday, May 28th, 2009
  • "No prob" sez life to crashing asteroids!
    “No prob” sez life to crashing asteroids!

    The “late heavy bombardment” burned out any life that was around 4 billion years ago — or not… Plenty of high temperature bacteria could have survived in deep rocks, says a new study.


    Thursday, May 21st, 2009
  • Economic stimulus = just pouring concrete?
    Economic stimulus = just pouring concrete?

    Obama decides that current and new grant applications at the National Institutes of Health are an effective economic stimulus. People get jobs. Inventions get invented. What’s not to like?


    Thursday, December 18th, 2008
  • Science Education 101

    Don’t know much about Science Education: A new survey shows three out of every four US adults do not feel they have a good understanding of science.


    Thursday, April 3rd, 2008
  • Pacific migrations: New evidence on ancient human voyages

    A stone tool discovered in Polynesia came from Hawaii — 2500 miles away. Modern analytical techniques show that Polynesians did sail thousands of miles across the ocean — without a compass.


    Thursday, September 27th, 2007
  • “Dr. Death” released. Anything new about dying?

    Jack Kevorkian forced us to confront the fears and hopes of terminal illness. What’s happened with “right to die” laws in Oregon and the Netherlands? Can “dignity therapy” ease the pain of dying?


    Thursday, June 14th, 2007
  • Scrapping Science: Do Facts Really Matter?

    Obama: “…promoting science isn’t just about providing resources—it’s about protecting free and open inquiry. It’s about listening to what our scientists have to say, even when it’s inconvenient—especially when it’s inconvenient.” What science issues face his administration?


    Thursday, October 19th, 2006


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Image courtesy of Pete Mouginis-Mark, Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawaii at Manoa

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